Uganda And Rwanda Safari: Chimp And Gorilla Trekking In Kibale, Bwindi, Volcanoes National Park, Wildlife Safar, And Game Viewing In Queen Elizabeth

 

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe and transfer to your Hotel.

You will be met on arrival by our 11 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari representative for briefing and later you will be transferred to your hotel of booking as you wait for the start of your adventurous holiday the next day.

• Luxury: Imperial Resort Beach Hotel / Protea Hotel Entebbe/ LAICO Lake Victoria Hotel
  
• Midrange: Botanical Beach Hotel Entebbe/ Boma Guesthouse/ Gately Entebbe
  
• Budget: Entebbe Backpackers / African Roots Guesthouse/ Anderita Beach Hotel, Papyrus Guesthouse Entebbe,, Gately Inn Entebbe
• Meal plan: Dinner

Day 2: Drive to Kibale Ntional Park.

After breakfast, we check out and drive to Kibale National Park, as you enjoy nice scenery and good views of the shadows of the mountains of the moon –the Ruwenzori. Kibale national park, which averages about 3300 feet in elevation, is an exertion of the great rainforests of central Africa. it is inhabited by three large communities of chimps, each numbering more than 100 individuals. Each community terraces a complicated social structure. The big adult males dominate the group and defend the community territory against incursions by male outsiders; the females usually wander in small family groups .chimps tend to forage in small parties or even as individuals.

They usually travel on the ground but being primarily fruit eaters, they mostly feed on trees. They coalesce into large groups when they find an abundant source of food, such as a fruiting fig tree. Typically, we locate the chimps by listening for their pant hooting calls, then hustle to the area from which they are calling. We get to observe them as they feed in fruiting trees, lounge, and socialize with each other, or even, occasionally, hunt.

• Luxury: Ndali lodge/Primate lodge / Kibale forest / Kyaninga lodge                                                 
• Moderate: Mountains of the moon / Kibale forest camp
• Budget: Rwenzori travelers / Kibale forest camp/Chimpanzee forest guest house
• Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Chimpanzee Plus other primates.

A half-day search of chimpanzees and 10 other primates including phoestes, red colobus, blue and red-tailed grey-cheeked mangabey. The 11 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari guide will prove detailed explanations, not only for primates but also on all the forest fauna, and will ensure that your walk is both informative and enjoyable .this walk is excellent for viewing bird life and seeing primates at close quarters.

• Luxury: Ndali lodge/Primate lodge / Kibale forest / Kyaninga lodge                                                 
• Moderate: Mountains of the moon / Kibale forest camp
• Budget: Rwenzori travelers / Kibale forest camp/Chimpanzee forest guest house
• Meal plan: Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Queen Elizabeth National Park, viewing Rwenzoris, lots of craters lakes, and wild animals

Either a day’s walk in the foothills of the Rwenzoris, one of the great mountain ranges of the world, looking out for its forbidding peaks in the distance, or drive straight to Queen Elizabeth. The game seen will depend on the season; the Kasenyi plains are good for lions and the Mweya peninsula for a variety of animals.

Shift to Queen Elizabeth National Park this morning (about 3 hours driving). Leaving through Fort Portal town, you turn south and early this afternoon enter Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is dominated on its northern border by the snow-capped 16,000-foot Rwenzori Mountains-the famed “Mountains of the Moon”. This 767-square-mile conservation area is bordered on the North East by Lake George and on the South West by Lake Edward; its western border adjoins the Zaire Parc Du Virunga. You will expect to see teeming herds of impala-like Uganda Kob, as well as topi, elephant and lion, giant forest hog, and Cape buffalo.

There are also several soda lakes filling ancient volcanic calderas where flamingos reside seasonally. In the afternoon enjoy a game drive in the northern part of the park, visiting the Baboon Cliff famous for its nice scenery, and good views of the shadows of the mountains of the moon – the Rwenzoris. The drive to the lodge leads through large expanses of savannah grasslands and plenty of wild game

• Up-market/ Luxury: Mweya Safari Lodge or Jacana Safari Lodge
  
• Mid-range: Queen Elizabeth Safari Lodge
  
• Budget price: Simba Safari Camp
• Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
  

Day 5: Game drive to see lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, etc

We set out early in the morning for a game drive in the northern part of the park on the Kasenyi Track in search of lions, elephants, and solitary buffaloes. This is the best time for opportunities of viewing the cats in action owing to the vast population of Uganda Kobs. We have an excellent chance to view just about every animal here at very close range. In the afternoon we will go for a launch trip along the Kazinga Channel. This gives you the opportunity to view wildlife up close: hippos huff and sprays at mere feet away from the boat, buffalo linger in the shallows. The shores of the channel are also home to an array of birds including pink-backed pelicans, pied and malachite kingfishers, saddle-billed stork, and many others.

• Up-market/ Luxury: Mweya Safari Lodge or Jacana Safari Lodge
  
• Mid-range: Queen Elizabeth Safari Lodge
  
• Budget price: Simba Safari Camp
• Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Tree Climbing Lions, Queen Elizabeth National Park:

After breakfast, we drive further south through stunning savannah grasslands as we head to the southern sector of the park –Ishasha, a remote and beautiful extension of Queen Elizabeth national park that is host to a large variety of wildlife. (this is a fabulous area in which to see the lions draped from the trees and nowhere in Africa do you stand a better chance of seeing this than in the large low limbed fig tree of Ishasha).

• Luxuryfacility: Mweya Safari  Lodge/ Katara Lodge/ Jacana Lodge 
• Mide range: Bush Lodge (in rooms)/ Simba Safari Camp in rooms/ Buffalo Safari Resort/ Enganzi Lodge/ Ihamba Safari Lodge
  
• Budget facility: Kazinga Channel View Lodge/ Simba Safari Camp in tents/ Bush Lodge in tents  
• Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park:

After breakfast set off early with guides to track the gorillas. The thrill of your encounter will erase the difficulties of the potentially strenuous trek. Bring jungle boots and rain jackets because the park is often wet. Spend time in awe watching the gorillas go about their activities. Each gorilla safari encounter is different and has its own rewards, but you are likely to enjoy the close view of adults feeding, grooming, and resting as the youngsters frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully playful display.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a magnificent green swathe of dense rainforest, so ancient that survived the last ice age. A recently proclaimed World Heritage site, it’s one of the most biologically diverse areas on earth and its unique, precious flora sustains roughly half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas – believed to number just 720. There’s also a substantial chimpanzee population and research shows that Bwindi is the only forest in Africa in which these two apes live together.

Time permitting, spend the afternoon on a community foot safari to explore the lifestyle of the people living and surrounding the park. Return to camp exhilarated to relieve the encounter with friends over a drink.

• Lower budget: Gorilla Valley Lodge/ Travellers Rest Hotel Kisoro
  
• Moderate: Gorilla Safari Lodge/ Chameleon Hill Resort/ Mutanda Lake Resort
  
• Up-market: Volcanoes Mgahinga Lodge/ Rushaga Gorillas Safari Lodge
• Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8:Gorilla trekking (Bwindi Impenetrable NP), Tracking the Mountain Gorillas and other primates

Today enjoy surely. After breakfast, proceed for the morning briefing before enjoying the highlight of the 11 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari – Gorilla trekking, which may last the entire day. We trek through the rainforest and bamboo-covered slopes, accompanied by a guide and trackers, in search of a mountain gorilla family. The walking can sometimes be tough and long, but when you catch a glimpse of the magnificent silverback, any discomforts will be quickly forgotten. When sighted, visitors will be guided to within 6 meters of the gorillas, and sit around them for a whole hour while gazing into their big round eyes.

Gorilla trekking is unpredictable. It’s difficult to foresee how many hours you will hike. The gorilla excursion can take from 2 up to 8 hours. Expect to walk long distances in steep and muddy conditions, sometimes with rain overhead, before you encounter any gorillas. A good physical condition is recommended. For conservation purposes, time spent with the gorillas is limited to one hour. A ranger will brief you on how to behave with the gorillas.

While most of today’s forests are no more than 12,000 years old, Bwindi’s vegetation has been weaving itself into tangles over at least 25,000 years, in the process accumulating a lengthy species list. This includes 310 species of butterfly, 51 reptiles, 200 trees, 88 moths, and an exceptional 120 types of mammal including 10 primates. The latter includes chimpanzee, L’Hoest’s, red-tailed and blue monkey, black and white colobus, baboon, and Bwindi’s most famous resident, the mountain gorilla. Bwindi is a prime destination for birdwatchers. Its 350 species include seven which are IUCN red data listed and 90% of all Albertine rift endemics, species that are difficult or impossible to see in any other part of East Africa.

• Up-market: Buhoma Lodge/ Mahogany Lodge
  
• Moderate: Engagi Lodge/ Silverback Lodge / Gorilla Safari Lodge/ Lake Kitandara Camp
  
• Low Budget: Travellers Rest Hotel, Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp, or Buhoma Community Campground
• Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 9: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park 

After breakfast, drive to Rwanda as you enjoy the rolling hills for which Rwanda is well known to Ruhengere via Musanze arriving in Kinigi. You can either take a nature walk with a guide from the park, learning about the flora and fauna of the forest. Alternatively, you could go on a short trek to search for one of the troops of golden monkeys which inhabit the forest (this would need to be pre-booked, and is an additional cost). Or climb the Bisoke/Muhavura volcanoes, or, if you wish, you can visit the Iby’Iwachu Cultural Village, which will give you a fascinating insight into the traditions and history of Rwanda’s people., or walk to Lake Bulera.

• Super Up-market: Virunga Lodge/ Sabinyo Siverback Lodge
  
• Mid-Luxury level: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge/Gorilla nest camp
  
• Moderate: La Palme Hotel / Gorillas Volcanoes Hotel
  
• Low Budget: Muhabura Lodge / Kinigi guest house / Virunga Hotel Musanze
  
• Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 10: Gorilla Trekking, Parc National des Volcanoes

You can choose to go gorilla tracking in Parc National des Volcans (subject to permit availability at the time of booking). Tracking the gorillas through the light mountain forest on the slopes of the Virungas is a magical experience. If you are lucky you can get to the gorillas, spend an hour with them, and be back at the base in time for a late lunch! Some gorilla families however are more elusive, and tracking can take a full day, especially when it is wet and muddy.

• Mid-Luxury level: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge/Gorilla nest camp
  
• Moderate: La Palme Hotel / Gorillas Volcanoes Hotel
  
• Low Budget: Muhabura Lodge / Kinigi guest house / Virunga Hotel Musanze
  
• Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 11: Onwards To Kigali:

Depart from the park in the afternoon to Kigali. You have a Kigali city tour today and visit the Genocide Memorial Museum before you transfer to the airport for your onward international flight. The city tour includes the old town (Nyamirambo) and Muslim quarter, the new handicraft village and other shops, the Batwa pottery and dance center, and the Gisozi Genocide Memorial. The memorial is very moving – the tour takes a couple of hours – and will be of interest to anyone who has spent some time in this enchanting country.

Afterward, you are transferred to the airport for your flight back home.

End of 11 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari